Drop Dead Gorgeous

Blair Mallory, last seen in To Die For, has already survived one murder attempt. Now, while planning her wedding and dealing with holiday-season madness, Blair once again dodges a bullet. Or, more precisely, a Buick. And though the driver's identity remains a mystery, his or her murderous intentions are all too clear.

Dying to Please

Loyal. Beautiful. Professional. Impeccably organized. Potentially lethal. Sarah Stevens is a woman with many distinct qualities. First and foremost a butler par excellence, skilled at running large households smoothly and efficiently, she is also a trained bodyguard and expert marksman - indispensable to her elderly employer, a courtly gentleman Sarah has come to respect and love. But her perfectly ordered life is shattered when tragedy strikes.

Kill and Tell

Still reeling from her mother's recent death, Karen Whitlaw is stunned when she receives a package containing a mysterious notebook from her estranged father, whom she has barely seen since his return from the Vietnam War decades ago. Then, a shocking phone call: Karen's father has been murdered on the gritty streets of New Orleans.

Open Season

Daisy Minor is bored. Worse than that, she's boring. A plain, small-town librarian, she's got a wardrobe as sexy as a dictionary and hasn't been on a date in years. She's never even had a lukewarm love affair, let alone a hot one. So when she wakes up on her 34th birthday and wonders how it is that she still lives with her widowed mom and spinster aunt while her friends have all gotten married and started families, she decides it's time to get a life - and a sex life.

Mr. Perfect

What would make the perfect man? That's the deliciously racy topic that Jaine Bright and her three girlfriends are pondering one night at their favorite after-hours hot spot: Mr. Perfect. Would he be tall, dark, and handsome? Caring and warmhearted - or will just muscular do? As their conversation heats up, they concoct a tongue-in-cheek checklist that becomes an overnight sensation, spreading like wildfire at work and sizzling along email lines. But what began as a joke among friends turns deadly serious when one of the four women is murdered....

All the Queen's Men

No one can get close to John Medina, the CIA's legendary Black Ops specialist who works in the shadows of the government's deadliest missions. And no one knows the dangers better than Niema Burdock. A sharp, steely-nerved communications expert, Niema and her husband, Dallas, worked side by side with Medina on an explosive mission that went tragically wrong. Now Niema has withdrawn to a quiet Intelligence position, and a safe - if predictable - existence that has helped her heal her scars from five years ago. But now John Medina needs her....

Shades of Twilight

Shades of Twilight is the story of Roanna Davenport, who grows up in a wealthy southern family but never quite fits in. She isn't pretty or popular, and she has a real talent for saying the wrong thing at precisely the wrong moment. She's in love with a distant cousin, Webb Tallant. But Webb marries their cousin Jessie, the bane of Roanna's life. When Jessie is found murdered, Webb is blamed for her death, even though there isn't enough evidence to charge him.

Up Close and Dangerous: A Novel

Bailey Wingate's scheming adult stepchildren are surprised when their father's will leaves Bailey in control of their fortune, and war ensues. A year later, while flying from Seattle to Denver in a small plane, Bailey nearly dies herself when the engine sputters - and then fails.

Now You See Her

A talented painter in her early thirties, Samille Sweeney has achieved enviable success. Her work sells at an exclusive New York City gallery and her popularity is at an all-time high when she begins to experience lush, vivid dreams drenched in vibrant hues that influence her artwork. When Sweeney paints a graphic murder scene that mirrors a recent real-life murder, she is thrust into suspicious light.

Dream Man

Marlie Keen was trying to lead a quiet, ordinary life. She thought the knowing - the clairvoyance that allowed her to witness crimes as they happened - had been destroyed in the nightmare of her past. Then one night it returned with a vengeance, and she desperately needed to find someone to make it stop.

Cover of Night

In the charming rural town of Trail Stop, Idaho, accessible to the outside world by only a single road, young widow Cate Nightingale lives peacefully with her four-year-old twin boys, running a bed-and-breakfast. But one day, Cate is shocked when armed men storm the house, demanding the mystery man's belongings.

Troublemaker: A Novel

For Morgan Yancy, an operative and team leader in a paramilitary group, nothing comes before his job. But when he's ambushed and almost killed, his supervisor is determined to find out who's after the members of his elite squad - and why. Due to worries that this unknown enemy will strike again, Morgan is sent to a remote location and told to lay low and stay vigilant. But between a tempting housemate he's determined to protect and a deadly threat waiting in the shadows, keeping under the radar is proving to be his most dangerous mission yet.

Kiss Me While I Sleep

It's a job that makes a killing. Efficient, professional, and without apology, Lily Mansfield is a hired assassin, working as a contract agent for the CIA. Her targets are the powerful and corrupt, those who can't be touched by the law.

After the Night

"Of all of my novels, After the Night remains one of my personal favorites – and Faith Devlin and Gray Rouillard are two of my favorite characters. Faith is strong, proud, and fearless, and Gray – well, he’s just downright sexy. Faith’s search for the truth about the devastating scandal surrounding her mother and Gray’s father blazes with intrigue. Add some sultry Southern hear, and you’ve got a real scorcher of a listen." (Linda Howard)

Veil of Night: A Novel

Jaclyn Wilde is a wedding planner who loves her job—usually. But helping Carrie Edwards with her Big Day has been an unrelenting nightmare. Carrie is a bridezilla of mythic nastiness, a diva whose tantrums are just about as crazy as her demands. But the unpleasant task at hand turns seriously criminal when Carrie is brutally murdered and everyone involved with the ceremony is accusing one another of doing the deed.

Midnight Rainbow

A romance in the jungle - Grant Sullivan, tough, masculine and handsome, is a retired military expert entrusted with a mission in the Costa Rican jungle - to find hostage and socialite Jane Hamilton Greer. When Grant rescues her in a rather cavalier and physical fashion, no love is lost between them. But gradually, their mutual attraction and passion becomes apparent and the jungle smolders in more ways than one.

Prey: A Novel

Three years ago, Dare returned home to rural western Montana and opened a hunting business to rival Angie’s. Complicating matters is the fact that Dare has asked Angie out (not once but twice) and has given her a gift of butterflies in the process. Angie has no patience for butterflies. They only lead to foolish decisions. And now the infuriatingly handsome Iraq war vet has siphoned away Angie’s livelihood, forcing her to close up shop. Before Angie is to leave town, she organizes one last trip into the wilderness....

Son of the Morning

A scholar specializing in ancient manuscripts, Grace St. John never imagined that a cache of old documents she discovered was the missing link to a lost Celtic treasure. But as soon as she deciphers the legend of the Knights of the Templar - long fabled to hold the key to unlimited power - Grace becomes the target of a ruthless killer bent on abusing the coveted force. Determined to stop him, Grace needs the help of a warrior bound by duty to uphold the Templar's secret for all eternity.

Killing Time

In 1985, with much fanfare, a time capsule was buried under the front lawn of a small-town county courthouse, to be reopened in 2085. But just 20 years later, in the dead of night, the capsule is dug up, its contents stolen.

Cry No More

With an astonishing blend of savvy, instinct, and passion, Milla Edge displays an uncanny gift for finding lost children. When all seems helpless, desperate souls from across the country come to her for hope and results. Traveling to a small village in Mexico on a reliable tip, Milla begins to uncover the dire fate of countless children who have disappeared over the years.

Heart of Fire

A fabulous lost Amazon city once inhabited by women warriors and containing a rare red diamond: it sounded like myth, but archeologist Jillian Sherwood believed it was real, and she was willing to put up with anything to find it - even Ben Lewis. Ruffian, knock-about, and number one river guide in Brazil, Ben was all man - over six feet of rock-hard muscles that rippled under his khakis, with lazy blue eyes that taunted her from his tanned face.

Running Wild: The Men from Battle Ridge

Carlin Reed lives in fear, off the grid, moving from place to place. So Battle Ridge, Wyoming, a small town in the middle of nowhere, seems like a good place to lie low for a while. But after becoming cook and housekeeper to cattle rancher Zeke Decker, Carlin suspects that she’s made her first mistake. Rugged, sexy, and too distracting for his own good, Zeke is pure temptation mixed with something deep and primal that makes Carlin feel almost safe. Soon things are getting way too hot in the kitchen.

Duncan's Bride

Reese Duncan wanted a wife, pure and simple. Someone to have children with, someone to help him rebuild his ranch, someone uncomplicated...and someone very different from his first wife, the woman who'd destroyed his life. But he hadn't bargained on Madelyn Patterson.

Shadow Woman: A Novel

Lizette Henry wakes up one morning and makes a terrifying discovery: She doesn't recognize the face she sees in the mirror. She remembers what she looks like, but her reflection is someone else's. To add to the shock, two years seem to have disappeared from her life. Someone has gone to great and inexplicable lengths to keep those missing years hidden forever. But the past always finds a way to return.

Publisher's Summary

Blair Mallory lives the good life. She's pretty, confident, and the owner of a thriving upscale fitness center. But in the shadow of success, a troubled member of the club develops a strange fixation on her, imitating her style and dress. Matters take a darker turn when the look-alike is shot dead - and Blair witnesses the horror.

As the media speculate on the tawdry details of the homicide and push Blair into the harsh spotlight, she locks horns with police lieutenant Wyatt Bloodsworth - he wants to lead an investigation without interference, while she is determined to probe the dead woman's life on her own.

But when someone begins to menace Blair with mounting threats, Wyatt takes notice: Was this murder indeed a lethal case of mistaken identity - and was Blair the intended victim?

Not your typical Linda Howard heroine. I usually hate high maintainence cheerleaders, but I actually liked Blair. She was funny, fun and smart.
The narrator started off sounding like she was at least 70. Sounded just like my grandmother's neighbor. An old Okie woman with 12 strands of hair, missing front teeth, wearing a floral housedress everyday, support shoes and her stockings rolled down around her ankles in a donut shape. Not exactly the character you want to picture when you're reading about a beautiful, blond cheerleader. As the story progressed, the narrator's voice lost the quality of my g'ma's neighbor and I was more able to picture what Blair should look like. But in the second part of the book, that sound came back to the narrator's voice and here I was seeing Blair as a 70 yr old again. Yikes. Despite that, I still enjoyed the story and laughed much. Hope you try it for yourself.

This is a great book, ruined by a horrible narrator. I've read the paperback versions of both of Linda Howard's books about Blair Mallory, and they are a hoot. Some time ago, I bought the audiobook for the second book in the series, Drop Dead Gorgeous, and the narrator was wonderful. Stupid me, I presumed that the narrator for the first book, To Die For, would be the same person. Big mistake. I literally couldn't listen to the narrator for To Die For more than a few sentences. She had a horrible, fake southern accent and spoke in overly dramatic tones. Even worse, her voice was thin, thready, and wobbly, which made her sound like a 70-year-old woman. Since the heroine in this book is 30, the disconnect was too awful to listen to.

I wish I had read the other reviews before I wasted my credit for this one. I couldn't get past the first 20 minutes. That narrator was horrible!! I have listed to hundreds of audio books. This is the first time I just stopped before I finished the book. It may be a great story, but I'll never find out. I prefer to move on.

The narrator sounds, like a very old lady ; not very comfortable listening to swearing or sex scenes being read by someone that sounds like my gramma. Linda Howard is a wonderful author; if you are willing to take the chance go for it.

I liked the beginning of this book. I got a kick out of the steel magnolia personality of the main character. I was not irritated by the narrator as so many reviewers were. But as the story went on and on and oooonnnnnn....... I finally just got tired of it. The sharp repartee that was so cute in the beginning got tiring when it never let up. The hero was always acting like a jerk, and the heroine was always punishing him for it. It was funny at first but after a while I thought, "How could anybody stand to live this way?"

One of my major gripes was that the two main characters had dated in the past, and then the hero stopped calling with no explanation. In the beginning was the promise that we would eventually find out the reason, and the reason was totally lame. Basically, the guy was just one of those jerks most of us have run into from time to time who stops calling and leaves us wondering what went wrong, instead of doing the decent thing and letting us know they are ending it.

There is supposedly a mystery being solved, but it occupies only a small portion of the book. Mostly we just get the two main characters sparring with each other day after endless day with neither of them willing to compromise and each of them angry at the other for good reason with no resolution.

This is not one of Linda Howard's better books. If you love her, and have read everything else, then you may want to read this one, but I wouldn't start with this one.

Contrary to most who have review this book, I really liked the narrator. I thought she was hilarious and perfect for this character. She does have an unusual voice and I can see why some would not like it. It is high pitched but I found it realisitic. I listened to the sequel with a different narrator and did not like it nearly as much. Good listen!

I love all things Linda Howard, and To Die For is no exception. The story was good. The heroine did grate on my nerves in places, and this was exemplified by the narrator. Holy Moses, this woman's voice BUGGED me. If you are able to sort of distance yourself from her inflections and delivery, then it's worth a listen. If you don't think you are able to do that, I recommend devouring this one the old fashioned way....I would give 3 stars solely for the narration, but b/c I did enjoy the story I bumped it up to 4 stars.

I love absolutely everything I have ever read by Linda Howard EXCEPT THIS BOOK!! The writing was ok but the narrator was so annoying I wanted to shoot the main character by the end of the first half. This book moved slowly but the narration made it AWFUL!!! Try any one of Ms. Howard's OTHER books.

I didn't even get through the first chapter. Narration is key to making the story come alive. The narrator is way older than someone in her early 30s. I could deal with her voice as the mother or grandmother but not as the young heroine. And the southern accent sounded phony. I reread the book. Could not listen to the audible.